GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas -- A Grand Prairie, Texas police officer who was standing outside of his car running radar was hit and killed by a vehicle Friday morning, according to police.
Grand Prairie Officer Albert Castaneda, 38, died shortly before 11 a.m. at an Arlington hospital.
Castaneda was standing near his car when the driver of a Nissan 300ZX lost control of the vehicle and struck the Grand Prairie Police Tahoe, police said.
The officer was thrown from the elevated surface to the ground.
Troopers with the Texas Department of Public Safety are investigating the accident, and no charges have been filed against the driver at this time, Grand Prairie police said.
The driver of the Nissan was not injured.
Grand Prairie Police Chief Steve Dye tweeted at 2:25 p.m. that the officer died. “It is with deep sadness that I announce we have lost one of our @GrandPrairiePD Officers this morning. Our department is hurting... our community is hurting... our city is hurting. Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers as we move forward,” he said in the tweet.
Northbound lanes of the President George Bush Turnpike were closed until further notice in Grand Prairie after the accident, police said.
The accident occurred around 10:30 a.m. on Friday on PGBT near Dickey Road, police said. The officer was taken to Medical City Arlington hospital.
“We are deeply saddened about losing one of our own,” the Grand Prairie Police Department tweeted. “Our hearts are heavy. Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers as we grieve this unbelievable loss.”
This is the first death of an on-duty officer in Grand Prairie since 2004, according to the department.
Castaneda was a five-year veteran of the Grand Prairie police force who was assigned to the patrol division’s field operations bureau.
He was featured by local news agencies in September when he saved a child who was choking at the Mid-Autumn Festival at Asia Times Square.
He worked for six years with the Tarrant County Sheriff’s Office and served as a member of the United States Coast Guard from 2000 to 2008.
He was a father of two children.
“He was an outstanding officer whose passion was providing service to the public,” according to a news release from Grand Prairie police.
The northbound lanes of PGBT near Dickey Road were closed until further notice, police said.
Traffic was being directed to a service road.
Arlington police were assisting Grand Prairie police at the hospital, according to Arlington officer Christopher Cook, a police spokesman.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
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